The passage of HB1326, the so-called “Corporate Water Theft Bill” that affects the future use of East Maui’s water, has morphed from a civics lesson into an episode of “The Walking Dead.” In the past week alone, the bill has been alive, dead, undead, and buried-but-still-moving. It has become so toxic that few lawmakers even […]

It’s been a helluva year, and that’s not a good thing. For the United States, the watchwords for 2017 have been violence and hatred–against women, African-Americans, immigrants, LGBTQ individuals and basically everyone who isn’t a straight white male. You don’t have to be a master at reading the room to know that greed and ignorance […]

The Trump Administration may not give a damn that we’re trashing the planet, but it’s nice to see officials in Hawaii and Maui County certainly do. On Tuesday, June 6, Hawaii Governor David Ige signed two bills that commit the state to work ever harder to combat climate change–an imperative given the substantial dangers that […]

1. According to an April 28 Sierra Club of Hawaii press release, state bill HB1593 has been deferred indefinitely, meaning it’s dead this legislative session. What did the bill do? A. Establish goals for fossil-free ground transportation in Hawaii. B. Provide financial support for low- and -middle-income households who want to invest in renewable energy […]

Back in March, the Maui Planning Commission voted 5-3 to accept the Final Environmental Assessment (FEA) and Finding of No Significant Impact for ATC Makena Holding’s proposed 47-acre Makena Resort project (on the site of the old Makena Golf and Beach Club) that seeks to put in a 158-unit gated luxury community on the mauka side of […]

Even without the election of Republican Donald Trump to be President of the United States, this was a monstrous year. We’ve had to deal with job losses, outrageous giveaways to big business and just a general slide away from democratic protections and open government assurances. We like to think of Hawaii (and Maui especially) as […]

Sierra Club of Maui is celebrating their 40th anniversary this Saturday, Oct. 1 at Kanaha Beach Park. The celebration includes a free picnic lunch hosted by Mana Foods and Flatbread Company in Paia, an awards presentation and talk story groups that will discuss a myriad of environmental issues that pertain to Maui (like potential overdevelopment of Makena, pictured […]

In a 2-0 vote (one commissioner abstained) this afternoon, the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has voted to reject the proposed NextEra/Hawaiian Electric merger, numerous news outlets are reporting. “The PUC concluded that while the companies demonstrated that NextEra is fit, willing and able to perform the services currently offered by HECO, they did not […]

Well, they did it. Yesterday, the Hawaii state Senate voted to approve House Bill 2501, which permits Alexander & Baldwin (A&B) to keep diverting East Maui streams for another three years. “The most important thing to understand about HB 2501 is that the Legislature is circumventing a January state court ruling that found A&B has […]

Sometimes I get the distinct impression that the Hawaii Legislature, though controlled by the Democratic Party, really has no clue as to what their constituents are actually saying. We saw this last month when local elected officials (with just a couple of exceptions) fell over themselves to endorse Hillary Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination, […]

1. On Jan. 19, Hawaii Sierra Club Director Marti Townsend called a new plan from Hawaii Gas to import natural gas into the state “irresponsible.” What former Maui County official recently went to work for Hawaii Gas? A. Dain Kane B. Glenn Correa C. JoAnn Johnson-Winer D. Kyle Ginoza E. Kimo Apana 2. Which Hawaii […]

And now on to an issue near and dear to all of our hearts–power utility operation! Most of Maui Electric Company’s (MECO’s) 70,000 or so customers probably don’t give the utility much thought (except maybe when the bill arrives), but the County of Maui itself is very interested in the matter right now. So much […]

In Hawaii, a chain of islands in the middle of the largest ocean on Earth, the vulnerability of our power generation couldn’t be more apparent. Shipping in fossil fuels isn’t a mere luxury–it’s a potential disaster. Cut off the oil, and in no time at all our state returns to the 19th century. It’s a […]

Hawaii Governor David Ige isn’t a fan. Neither is Maui County Mayor Alan Arakawa. Same with Sierra Club Hawaii Director Marti Townshend. And now we know that state Consumer Advocate Jeffrey Ono isn’t on board, either. I’m talking about the proposed merger between Hawaiian Electric and Florida-based NextEra Energy, which (if approved) would be worth […]

A group of anti-corporate and pro-labor and environment organizations are planning a series of demonstrations against the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade talks taking place this week at the Westin Maui Resort & Spa in Ka`anapali, says Sierra Club Hawaii Director Marti Townshend in a July 27 news release. “TPP negotiators cannot escape public scrutiny in […]